Oklahoma City, OK: The state Supreme Court has ruled in favor of the proponents of a forthcoming statewide ballot measure to regulate medical cannabis access.

In a 7 to 1 ruling, justices rejected the state attorney general's rewording of the initiative's ballot title and ordered that the measure's initial language be restored. Initiative proponents, Oklahomans for Health, had argued that the revised title was purposely misleading because it did not specify that the voter initiated measure was explicit to the use of medical marijuana only.

Proponents of the initiative, State Question 788, gathered sufficient signatures to place the issue before voters last election. The vote was postponed because of the litigation over the contested ballot title language.

The state's governor will now have to decide whether to place the ballot question on the 2018 gubernatorial ballot or to hold a special election. If approved, qualified patients would be able to legally possess and grow personal use quantities of medical cannabis, or obtain it from a state-licensed dispensary.

For more information, please contact Justin Strekal, NORML Political Director, at (202) 483-5500.